Toothpaste dispenser



Aug. 26, 1958 w. B.ElTZ EL 2,849,166

TooTHPAsT E DISPENSER Filed March 11, 1957 El- E5.

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent TOOTHPASTE DISPENSER Walter B. Eitzel, Chevy Chase, Md. Application March 11, 1957, Serial No. 645,175

4 Claims. (Cl. 222519) This invention relates to an improved dispenser for matainer. A rigid cap of metal or plastic having threaded engagement with the container neck, serves as a closure for the container. Removal and replacement of the cap is time-consuming, and on removal the cap not infrequently falls on the floor or rolls into a wash basin drain pipe and is lost, in which event the paste hardens and clogs the discharge aperture of the tube, during periods between use.

-These and other disadvantages are overcome by the present invention, which contemplates a dispenser having a closure member which cannot be removed but may be displaced to a position in which the contents may be freely discharged merely by slight rotation of the cap on the neck of the container.

More specifically, my invention involves the provision of a closure member for dispensing containers having threaded engagement with the container neck to facilitate initial application thereof, the closure and neck having coacting means for preventing removal of the closure member once it has been threadedon the neck. Limited rotation of the closure member away from the seated position on the neck is permitted for the purpose of placing in registry discharge ports in the closure member and neck, which ports are out of registry and eflectively sealed when the closure member is again turned down to the seated position.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispenser comprises a container having a neck, the outer end of the neck having a rounded external surface apertured laterally of the neck axis to provide a neck discharge port, a closure cap, dimensioned for reception on the neck,

has an internal end surface rounded to conform to the rounded outer end surface of said neck, and is apertured laterally of the cap axis to provide a cooperating cap discharge port. The neck and cap are provided with coacting threads, whereby the cap may be seated on the neck with the conforming rounded surfaces of these members in sealing engagement and with the ports out of registry to prevent discharge of the container contents. Coacting abutments are provided on the neck and cap, these abutments being wedge-shaped at one side to permit the cap abutment to ride over the neck abutment as the cap is threaded onto the neck, the abutments presenting generally radial opposed faces at the other side to prevent continued rotation of the cap in a direction to unseat the latter. The coaeting abutments are so relatively located in the seated position of the cap as to permit limited rotation of the latter in a direction to place the neck and cap ports in registry for the discharge of the container contents.

Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the upper portion of a container embodying the invention, significant portions of the structure being shown in section,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1, the container having been rotated through 90 degrees, and

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and specific language is used to describe the same. It will be appreciated, however, that no limitation of the invention is thereby intended, such further modifications and alterations of the structure illustrated and described herein being contemplated as would normally occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

The container is shown as comprising a body 10, a conical shoulder 11, and a neck 12. Neck 12 may be secured to shoulder 11 in any conventional manner. As illustrated, the shoulder is provided with an inwardly directed annular flange 14 on which the neck seats, a flange 16 on the shoulder being spun over a radial annular flange 17 on the neck to form a tight seal between the neck and shoulder. Flange 16 may be ribbed circumferentially to prevent rotation of the neck on the shoulder. The body 10 and neck 12 may be formed of metal, or of suitable plastic material, and the body is preferably collapsible to eject the contents, as in the conventional toothpaste tube. Neck 12 is preferably of plastic, moldable synthetic resins having a wide range of characteristics being suitable, having regard to the nature of the product to be dispensed. Selection of material and design of structural details thus far described from no part of the instant invention.

Neck 12 is molded to provide a discharge passage or port 20 terminating at its outer end laterally of the neck axis, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the port opening into a rounded end surface 21 which is approximately hemispherical.

A closure member or cap 25 is provided with a rounded or hemispherical internal surface 26 conforming generally in contour to the rounded end surface 21 of the neck 12, on which it seats with a sealing fit when turned down on the neck, cooperating threads 28 being provided on the neck and cap. The cap is provided with a discharge port 30, disposed at one side of the neck axis and shown in registry with the port 20 in the neck.

Cap 25 is further provided with a depending skirt portion 32-embracing the neck and having an inwardly projecting abutment 33 near its lower end for coaction with an abutment 35 projecting outwardly from the neck near the lower end of the latter. Abutments 33 and 35 are wedge-shaped at one side, as shown in Figure 3, so that when the cap is threaded down on the neck (by turning the cap clockwise as viewed in Figure 3), abutment 33 will ride over abutment 35, only slight yielding or distortion of the cap skirt being required, since the skirt embraces the neck with considerable clearance. It will be apparent, however, that the cap may not be removed, the generally radial sides of the abutments engaging on counter-clockwise rotation of the cap, as shown in Figure 3, to prevent continued rotation of the cap.

In the fully seated position of the cap, in which the rounded surfaces 26 and 21 on the cap and neck are in sealing engagement, and ports 20 and 30 are out of reg- 3 istry, abutment 33 occupies the dotted line position of Figure 3.

It is thus possible to rotate the cap in a counter-clockwise direction to the extent required to place ports 20 and 30 in registry before further rotation is blocked by engagement of the radial faces of abutments 33 and 35. The fully opened and fully closed positions of the dispenser are thereby predetermined; the angular displacement of the cap from one position to the other is preferably not substantially greater than 180 degrees, to the end that manipulation of the cap to open and close the ports may be quickly and easily effected. Again, rotation of the cap to the discharging position will result in slight axial displacement of the cap, and since it is desirable to minimize such displacement, the angle through which the cap must be turned to open the ports should be reduced as much as possible, consistent with full opening of the ports in the discharging position and complete closing of the ports in the seated position of the cap.

Compensation for such slight axial displacement as does occur may be achieved by appropriate distortion of the contour of the outer end of the cap. Thus the portion of the cap adjacent the port 30 may be caused to engage the opposed end surface of the neck even in the discharging position, as shown in Figure 1, and to exert a Wiping action on that surface as the cap is turned down to scaling position, the cap yielding slightly to accommodate the slight difference in curvature of the two rounded surfaces, so that full sealing engagement over the whole area occurs when the cap is tightly screwed onto the neck.

One example of a plastic material having such slight resilience as is necessary to achieve the result just described, and to permit abutment 33 to ride over abutment 35 as the cap is initially applied is polyethylene resin obtained by direct polymerization of liquid ethylene at high temperature and pressure.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dispenser for toothpaste and like material, the combination with a container having a collapsible body and a discharge neck, the outer end of said neck having a hemispherical external surface apertured laterally of the neck axis to provide a neck discharge port, of a closure cap dimensioned for reception on said neck and having a hemispherical internal end surface apertured laterally of the cap axis to provide a cooperating cap discharge port, said neck and cap being provided with coacting threads whereby said cap may be seated on said neck with said hemispherical surfaces in sealing engagement and said ports out of alignment to prevent discharge of the container contents, said cap having a depending skirt portion capable of flexure, coacting abutments on said neck and cap skirt portion, said abutments being wedgeshaped at one side to permit the cap abutment to ride over the neck abutment as the cap is threaded onto the neck and presenting generally radial opposed faces at the other side to prevent continued rotation of said cap in a direction to unseat said cap, said abutments being so relatively located in the seated position of said cap as to permit limited rotation of the latter in said direction to place said neck port and said cap port in registry for the discharge of the container contents.

2. In a dispenser for finely divided solid and pasty material, the combination with a container having a body and a discharge neck, the outer end of said neck having a rounded external surface apertured laterally of the neck axis to provide a neck discharge port, of a closure cap dimensioned for reception on said neck and having its internal end surface rounded to conform to the rounded outer end surface of said neck and apertured laterally of the cap axis to provide a cooperating cap discharge port, said neck and cap being provided with coacting threads whereby said cap may be seated on said neck with said rounded surfaces in sealing engagement and said ports out of alignment to prevent discharge of the container contents, coacting abutments on said neck and cap, said abutments being wedge-shaped at one side to permit the cap abutment to ride over the neck abutment as the cap is threaded onto the neck and presenting generally radial opposed faces at the other side to prevent continued rotation of said cap in a direction to unseat said cap, said abutments being so relatively located in the seated position of said cap as to permit limited rotation of the latter in a direction to place said neck port and said cap port in registry for the discharge of the container contents.

3. In a dispenser for finely divided solid and pasty material, the combination with a container having a body and a discharge neck, the outer end of said neck having a rounded external surface apertured laterally of the neck axis to provide a neck discharge port, of a closure cap of synthetic resin capable of flexure, dimensioned for reception on said neck, having its internal end surface rounded to conform to the rounded outer end surface of said neck, and apertured laterally of the cap axis to provide a cooperating cap discharge port, said neck and cap being provided with coacting threads whereby said cap may be seated on said neck with said rounded surfaces in sealing engagement and said ports out of alignment to prevent discharge of the container contents, coacting abutments on said neck and cap, said abutments being wedge-shaped at one side to permit the cap abutment to ride over the neck abutment as the cap is threaded onto the neck and presenting generally radial opposed faces at the other side to prevent continued rotation of said cap in a direction to unseat said cap, whereby removal of said cap is precluded, said abutments being so relatively located in the seated position of said cap as to permit limited rotation of the latter in a direction to place said neck port and said cap port in registry for the discharge of the container contents, that portion of the cap adjacent the port being deformed inwardly to engage snugly with the opposed rounded surface of the neck when said ports are in registry and to wipe the last named surface as the cap is threaded down to seat the same and to close said ports.

4. In a dispenser for finely divided solid and pasty material, the combination with a container having a discharge neck having a rounded external surface and being apertured laterally of the neck axis to provide a neck discharge port,,of a deformable closure cap dimensioned for reception on said neck, said cap having an internal surface rounded to conform to the rounded surface of said neck and being apertured laterally of the cap axis to provide a cooperating cap discharge port, said neck and cap being provided with coacting threads whereby said cap may be tightly seated on said neck with said ports out of alignment to prevent discharge of the container contents, coacting abutments on said neck and cap formed to prevent rotation of said cap in a direction to unseat said cap through an angle substantially greater than while permitting limited rotation in such direction to place said neck port and said cap port in registry for the discharge of the container contents, that portion of the cap adjacent the port therein being deformed inwardly to engage snugly with the rounded surface of the neck when said ports are in registry to wipe the last named surface as the cap is threaded down to seat the same and to close said ports.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

